Ukraine delays withdrawal of troops from neutral zone; Kurds angry at US 'stabbing in the back'

Ukraine postpones withdrawal of forces from neutral zone

Ukrainian Army. Photo: international

On October 7, the Ukrainian army did not withdraw troops from some war zones according to the agreement reached by the Trilateral Contact Group on resolving the conflict in Eastern Ukraine (including Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - OSCE) on October 2 as a condition for resuming negotiations of the "Normandy Quartet" group to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

At a press conference after the meeting with his Latvian counterpart, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Pristaiko announced and explained that the decision to withdraw troops from October 7 would be made if there was no shooting in the border area for 7 days (from October 2), but a few days ago, gunfire was heard in some residential areas here. Therefore, the Ukrainian side decided to postpone the agreed withdrawal date. Mr. Pristaiko said that they would have to wait for another 7-day period of "silence" to talk about a new withdrawal order.

Kurds angry at being 'abandoned' by the US

Kurdish protesters surround the US base in Tel Arqam, northern Syria. Photo: RT

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were "stabbed in the back" by a surprise announcement from the US on October 7 that the US would not get involved in a Turkish military operation in northern Syria, Reuters reported.

Kurdish militia in Syria protested outside a US military base near Tel Arqam, demanding protection from a Turkish military “invasion”.

“Stop Erdogan, stop the invasion!” chanted protesters who walked several kilometers from the border town of Ras al-Ayn (Hasakah province, Syria) to the US military base near Tel Arqam to present a petition demanding protection from Ankara’s military campaign.

British Prime Minister urges EU to clarify stance on new Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester on October 2, 2019. Photo: AFP/VNA

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on the European Union to detail its concerns about Brexit - Britain's departure from the EU - and said London had made "significant concessions" to allow the two sides to reach an agreement. Mr Johnson stressed that Britain had made a "generous, fair and reasonable" offer and wanted the EU to quickly clarify its position. If the EU has a problem with any of the proposals outlined in the plan, the two sides should sit down to discuss the details.

Meanwhile, speaking after meeting with British Brexit negotiators, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said Britain needed to be "more realistic and clear" in its proposed new plan to reach an agreement with the EU.

European farmers hit hard by Trump's attack

EU agriculture 'takes a hit' from the US. Photo: Reuters

From October 8, the US will officially impose punitive tariffs on the European Union (EU) on goods worth 7.5 billion USD. Countries that support Airbus such as France, Germany, Spain and the UK will be mainly affected by these measures. The Trump administration's move to impose additional tariffs mainly targets the European aircraft manufacturing industry, but also hits EU agricultural products. Specifically, tariffs will increase by 10% on the aircraft industry and 25% on agricultural products on October 18.

Bob Bauner, president of the New Jersey-based Food Industry Organization, which represents more than 1,000 food importers and exporters worldwide, said many of its members were angry that the food industry was being “collateral damage” from the dispute over aircraft subsidies. Miguel Blanco, head of the Spanish agricultural group COAG, which represents more than 15,000 farmers and ranchers, said the tariffs were “completely unfair and unnecessary.” “Once again, agriculture is suffering the consequences of an EU trade war that has nothing to do with rural Spain,” Blanco told Europa Press.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine honors scientists for their work on cell research

On the afternoon of October 7 (Hanoi time), the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their research on cellular responses. Three scientists, William G. Kaelin Jr, Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research on the responses of cells in the human body to changing oxygen environments. The mechanism of cell adaptation to changing oxygen environments is one of the reasons why animals can adapt to many living conditions.

In a statement, the Nobel Prize Committee said the work of the three British-American scientists "paved the way for promising new approaches to treating anemia, cancer and many other diseases."